Trabzonspor A.Ş. were established in 1967 as a result of a merger between several local teams, including İdmanocağı and Martıspor. Historically, the club has been amongst the most successful teams in the country. The team has a large fanbase, mostly from the city of Trabzon and the areas which surround it.

Upon the team entering the league system, they were placed in the Turkish Second League, where they remained for several years. Eventually, at the conclusion of the 1973–74 season, they achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time. Their debut season in the Turkish First League resulted in a 9th place finish and an appearance in the final of the Turkish Cup, which set the club up well for the success which would soon follow.

Since that time, Trabzonspor have enjoyed notable success on the domestic front. In total, the club have won the Turkish First League/Süper Lig on six occasions. Their first championship win came in the 1975-76 season, with subsequent league wins in 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81 and 1983-84. Over the years, the club have won eight Turkish Cups, as well as eight Turkish Super Cups. The team have also been runners up in the league seven times and have been losing finalists in the Turkish Cup five times.

Some of the more notable players to have represented the club throughout its history include names like Şenol Güneş, Kevin Campbell, Gökdeniz Karadeniz, Rigobert Song and Fatih Tekke.

Since the club's foundation, they have played their home matches at the Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium. When the ground first opened, back in 1951, it could hold just 2,000 spectators. However, renovations have taken place several times over the years, including recent expansions in 2008 and 2010. As a result, the stadium's current capacity stands at 28,169.